Cyber Security Fatigue Makes you Reckless

Most of us have several Internet-based accounts for services like E-mail, banking, entertainment, among others. For each of these, a username and password must be selected. A security expert would have you create a different, unrelated set of usernames and passwords for each account. Yet, as security fatigue takes hold, many Internet users reuse the same password over and over, putting themselves and their information at risk.

Cyber Security Fatigue Syndrome

In a world where technology is advancing at full speed, the formula “username / password” dates back to the dawn of computing, yet it’s still the norm. The password is a basic element of computer security and authentication required for all types of “user” and “admin” access to servers and software. No password is safe when hackers have decided to enter the banking systems, e-stores or other social networks that have not managed to protect themselves sufficiently. Data and cyber security are serious issues to consider; these technical mediums are most conducive to security breaches, data leakage, identity thefts and other cyber attacks.

Every day we create more and more online accounts and along with them an unending list of passwords. For each new app we use, each connected device we buy, and each service we sign up to, there is often a subscription form to fill, a username and password to create. Faced with this complexity, users seem condemned to favor simplicity at the expense of security by reusing the same password, or instead to spend their time to forget the complicated passwords they are trying to remember.

“The two top popular passwords were “123456” and “password” which ranked respectively first and second for two consecutive years.”

Password Fatigue

Users are always looking for a specific password for dozens of different uses for different tools. Then, they’re constantly prompted to reinitialize these passwords and make them stronger to keep their info safe from hacks. Growing tired, millions of users developed symptoms of security fatigue; they start taking passwords lightly, compromising their security.

The two top popular passwords were “123456” and “password” which ranked respectively first and second for two consecutive years.

For now, experts agree on a few simple rules to minimize the risk of hacks: use the longest possible passwords, combining letters, numbers and symbols, don’t spell, and never use the same password on different systems. Then, cross your fingers and hope the site you’re using did his best to protect its data and yours.